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Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Ok, so I am 2 days early, but it was bound to happen anyway. Yesterday, I needed to work, and I needed to get focus back in line with me. Between my botched assignment with my first client, trying to catch up with my Longaberger business, and the holidays, I have not made a card, scrapbook page or journal in about a month. So what do I do?

I made two cards. Just two of the same card, and here it is:

It is a very simple card, and the recipe calls for:

1-Heart stamp. I used a retired stamp from Close To My Heart, but you can use any type of stamp.

1-simple patterned paper cut into a 3x3 square from a sheet of 12x12. Again, any patterned paper will do. The simpler the better. The reason is you have to be able to stamp on the patterned paper and still be able to see the hearts on the card. I chose a simple pin striped pattern.

1-Blank card 4x6

1- Marker, colored pencil, or gel pen. This is for the stitched lines and to write “Be Mine”. If you do not trust your writing, rub on letters can substitute, and if there are not rub on letters, then use the computer.

2- Ink colors. I used Chocolate Chip and Real Red from Stampin Up!, but any ink pad will do

1- Scrap sheet of white cardstock. I used American Craft cardstock from my last project with the tags. This is why it is good to save your scraps of paper.

Instructions: before adhering the patterned paper down, stamp four hearts in each corner of the 3x3 square in the first color (Real Red), adhere to the card. Stamp two hearts on the scrap sheet of paper, with the second card (Chocolate Chip) and cut out. Note: if you have a heart-shaped punch, that is slightly bigger, use that instead. To make the raised heart, use mounting foam on one of the hearts, and then adhere the whole thing to the middle of the card.

Make stitch marks about ½ from the square. Print the words, “Be Mine below that.

Inside of the card:

“Roses are Red, Violets are blue.” “Heart are one of the things I can give to you.” “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Please note: This is how I got started with making cards, so I went back to my roots with this card, which is stamping. This is my first non-Cricut card in 18 months. Wow, like they say, confession IS good for the soul, LOL.

So the Valentine’s Day card run has begun. Hopefully, I will get a few done, because I made no Christmas or New Year’s Day cards.

Monday, December 27, 2010

I belong to a network of women entrepreneurs for about a year, and I love it. Check out this article, and if you live in the Central Ohio, Cincinnati, Ohio or Texas areas, and have a business, come join us.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

I ran into a bit of a snag with last week's 450 tag project. After I mailed the tags off to the person, he emails me while the tags were in route that he decided not to use them after all, thanked me, and that was it. No payment at all. I busted my bottom for this project and I the thanks I received was no monetary payment at all? I asked him why. he told me that he had a deadline, and they were not receive as ageed. I wrote back, explaining that he wanted it in three weeks, which I did do that. he gave me no date, nothing. I am sorry but I am a business, and a customer cannot tell me in three weeks with no date attached to it. Not only that, my supplier's supplier did not do what they were supposed to do, and I also explained that. He basically told me that it was my problem. Well, my problem was his problem. I communicated the best I could with my client, and I was waiting on comunication clues from him. I would email him through Etsy, and he would answered me the next day. he did not give me his cell phone until the day that it shipped. It also turned out that his job was on the line. Well it was not my fault this his neck was on the line, so why take it out on me? For big projects like that, if he wanted the tags so bad, he should have conntacted me the first week of November. I heard from him two days before Thanksgiving, and he expected me to drop family plans for this, especially since I was waiting on supplies to arrive.

Lessons Learned

My lesson learned is if you are going to advertising that you have items for sale on Etsy, Ebay, or another site like these, please spell out your terms if you are the seller. I had to change mine after the fact, and I got burned for it since I did not spell them out first place. My alchemy settings on Etsy read that I will not except no more than 200 peices to work on at a time, because I do not have a staff. Because I do not have a staff, the person asking for a customize item will have to give me plenty of time to work on the project and ship it, if more than 100 pieces. Ask questions (and lots of them) do not expect the client to do all of the communicating. even though I emailed him a lot, he still did not email me much. ask for phone numbers in case the person cannot be reached by email. That was my third mistake. My last mistake was YOU set what company (USPS, UPS, or FedEX) you will ship through. I was all prepared to go to the post office with a priorty box, when this client emailed me on how he wanted it sent (UPS) which charges a bundle, and if you use a franchised UPS, they cannot take accounts, which this client gave me. When I told him the charges, he screamed in the email that the reason why he gave me the account number was he can have it shipped for less than $25 (It was $59 total). I started to smartly tell him, if he knows of a UPS place that does not franchise in Columbus, Ohio, let me know, but I needed to keep it professional. Another thing, If you are dealing with a business, make sure you have a contract, and last I looked, an email was concidered a contract in my book. He told me that he did not contract me out. I wanted to say it, (and I am saying it in a letter I am sending him if I do not get any money by tomorrow).
So he has the tags (rather he decided to place them in the trash or not, he still has them), and if he does not pay me something, the next step is to notify Etsy or Paypal.

Well, have been blogging three days straight. That is a new worlds record, considering that I have 3 blogs and a blog that acts as a website. (one day I will have some nice 14 year old to really set up my website, or hire someone.

Well, I have my first order. The person wanted a simple tag, made out of blue/silver metal. Now I have never made anything out of metal sheets before. But I get it, and it has been a challenge for me. first of all, it is rolled up, so I have to unroll it, and place it on the Cricut mat. I am using the 12x24 mat, and made the decision to switch to the 12x12 mat. The reason is the sheets are much easier to handle. Did I mention that the client wanted 450 tags? OK the problems: Thank God for metal sheets that are forgiving, because these things bend on a dime. I am working with super sticky mats. the printer would not except the tags as is to print on, so I am cutting a second set of white tags, printing on one side, and adhere to the back of the tags. I am alternating between the blue side and the silver side. and they look like this:

I love the results and so the client when I showed him the images.

Well that is it. Short and sweet. Next time, I hope to show you some holiday stuff. Until next time, God Bless you.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Good morning all you early risers. For some reason or another you may be up reading this because, either you are getting ready for work, you are a stay at home mom, work from home mom, or whatever. You may find this very interesting. Before I start work on tags for a client (paper is on the way), I want to announce that I am bored. Sure, I have my mom and Aunt Mary's cards to work on, then there is the Christmas list for cards to work on. I even have a little organizing project that needs to get finished. Actually, it was the organizing project that got me out of this boredom. This is my first challenge, and I am passing it on to you, if you dare. Do you want to know what it is? It is a challenge called, "Use What You Have." The object of this challenge is to look around your scrapbooking area, and if there are supplies that you have not used in years (old paper, that embellishment meant for a project and got scrapped for something different) and make something out of it. It could be a card, a layout, a journal piece, anything. It could be for a present, or for yourself, just make it. The only thing you are allowed to buy is if you run out of adhesive. This is a good way to clean out your space for all the new stuff that will come in the form of a Christmas or Hanukkah present. If you have set a goal for how many layouts or cards you are going to make for 2010, this is a good way to play catch up.
I found a My Accents Heavenly Blue from Close to My Heart (must be retired, I have not seen that color in the current catalog). I used some buttons on two of my mom's thank you cards, I made a database on MS Access 2010 of my stamp pads from CTMH. I have found my wooden Christmas rubber stamps. So the images will be cards. I have dug up magazines from 2006, 1998, and 1999 that I can use a reference and update. This leads to my next segment....Stampin up.
I have decided that in addition to being a Longaberger consultant and owner of MDN Creates, I am going to be a Stampin up ! consultant in name only. It is mainly for supplies, but if someone wants to order something, they can. I will not be building a team. The reason for not building a team is I do not want to let them go when I become branch leader for Longaberger. as a branch leader, I cannot sell for another direct selling company, and even if I have been a Longaberger consultant for 9 years, I only have 10 consultants who have yet to make their goal, and I have not pulled in a $1,000 a month each month. The team has to have $6,000 for 3 months straight, including my sales, and so far I am the only one selling. Once that is up, and the company offers me the branch leader position, then I will make one last order from SU, and quit. At least that is the plan, but I will never know what God has planned. I just know that I like the products, and I do not want to pay full price. The only way to pay at a discount is to be a consultant. I know that there is an angel policy, but I list all products I use in a project anyway, so that is not a problem for me.

Well, for me, this is good night. I do this sometimes. I know, doctors want adults to get 8 hours of sleep, but I am nursing an official cold, and I have not been sleeping well the past two days. I will be up in a few.

BTW, the next challenge will have blog candy, this challenge is for you to get up and do something creative if you are not already doing it.

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ALL CONTENT, INCLUDING PHOTOS, TEXT AND CONCEPT DESIGN ELEMENTS ARE COPYRIGHTS OF PATRICIA LOGAN. FEEL FREE TO USE ANY OF MY IDEAS FOR INSPIRATION IN YOUR PROJECTS. PLEASE DON'T SUBMIT ANY OF THEM INTO ANY CONTESTS OR USE COMMERCIALLY WITHOUT GETTING PERMISSION FIRST. THANK YOU.

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Please feel free to use my creations as an inspiration for your work. I do not mind sharing. However, please do not claim it for your own work, use it in a publication, or sell it through another website or in a craft show without my permission. Some of the materials I use in my projects have been researched by me, and are being used according to that company's Angel Policy. All my posts and ideas posted are protected through Myfreecopyright.com.